T1’s Faker showcased the extraordinary potential of Azir during the 2023 League of Legends World Championship semifinals against JDG, causing a significant increase in the Emperor’s pick rate. Following Faker’s stellar Azir performance on November 12, Azir’s pick rate rose from 2.7 percent to 3.9 percent in Patch 13.22 in the U.S. alone, according to statistics from the League tracking website U.GG.
While the surge in Azir’s popularity is a positive sign of players diversifying their champion pool, many are struggling to master Azir’s mechanics, resulting in a decline in his win rates not only in North America but globally.
Azir is categorized as a ‘hard to play’ champion due to the complexity of his mechanics, which can be both an asset and a liability. While his ultimate can be a powerful tool for displacing enemies toward teammates, improper use or positioning can lead to significant problems.
Amusingly, numerous League players are discovering this challenge the hard way.
This isn’t to discourage players from trying Azir—indeed, experimenting with different champions is encouraged. However, it’s crucial to recognize that Faker, known as the ‘Unkillable Demon King,’ has a decade of professional League experience and has played Azir in 150 professional games, boasting a 68 percent win rate, well above average.
Utilizing Faker’s expertise can be beneficial for improving Azir gameplay. Analyzing Faker’s Azir build, including runes, items, and summoner spells, and observing how these adapt to different matchups can provide valuable insights. Similar strategies can be applied when learning from T1 Keria’s Bard gameplay. Both champions are challenging to master, meaning initial failures are expected. However, perseverance and continuous effort can lead to improvement and ultimately more victories.
So, if you ventured into playing Azir and faced initial challenges—keep at it. Improvement will come with time and dedication.